Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-02-25


student in tho ofilcc of tho first Secretary OF
sketches of the old bar about oil that is known
| Of him OF mn available na,Drc.
| Mr.. Creighton, said Colonel Gilmore wns not
| great lawyer nor widely read one, bus ho
Il applied himself to the interests OF his clients
| with great perseverance, He did not become
rich because he did'not seek to acquire land,
| but he was possessed of q competence. Crcigh-
| ton considered the law to be nothing more
| than good sense and sound judgment crystal
| lied into forms and rules and he trusted large
| ly TO his own good sense as TO what those forms
and rules were or should be In given case.
He was but little accustomed TO looking up
prcccdcnts or referring to decisions When in
later years more exact knowledge of tho science
and philosophy OF law obtained and better nc
quaintanco with reported cases was demanded
he was fortunate in associntng with himself
William Key Bond and afterwards John l..
Green
"Hc was great practical JOKER and tho mum.
hor and variety of his pranks were almost count.
less, One OF them that remember nearly had
o serious ending. A good many years ago there
was man named Fulton, who was q chronic
candidate for the Legislature. II was before
tho convention system had been adopted. and
any one who wanted to become n candidate
made his own announcement aud his own can.
vass. Fulton ran time after time, md when
the votes came to be counted he never had
one year two men were announced us candi-
dates; one was Whig the other Democrat.
Fulton thought he would run too and divide
the Democratic vote. 1t was the custom then
for candidates TO write cards to the public
through the papers announcing their views on
questions OF current interest Bentle wrote an
elaborate card, promising to accomplish no end
of good results II he was elected and closed his
card with n long Latin quotation, the substance
OF which was that he would labor for the pub
lie good first, last and all the time. Fulton read
the card and when he came to the Latin he halt
ed. 1t was beyond his knowledge, so he rushed
into Creighton's office with the paper and asked
what that foreign stun meant
rcighton read the card through aloud, and
whUn he came to the Latin rendered it-'And by
the votes of tho people 1 shall be elected and
beat the life out OF that miserable fool, Fulton,
who has been boring the public for ten years
Fulton flew into rage at once and started out
TO kill Bentlc but the latter avoided him till
after the election"
Creighton was elected to Congress several
times, first in 1916, and later in 1927. Uo was
appointed u. S. District Judge by the Presi-
dent, but was not confirmed by the Senate.
He was n devoted follower of Henry Clay's,
and frequently entertained Clay and other d s.
tinguished visitors Mt his house. Creighton was
n good host, and he lived we'll. Judge Stafford,
who afterwards lived in the same house, found
a single bill among some old papers for liquor
died in 1851
Secretary Creighton's most brilliant conteu,-
porary and rival at the Ross County Bar was
Michael Baldwin, who came from prominent
Connecticut family. He had one brother on the |
Supreme Bench of the United States, and an.
other who was business man of uncommon
qualifications. Baldwin, like Creighton, was |
admitted to the bar in Chillicothe in 1890 but he
was man of more varied and shining talents |
and rapidly gained name throughout the new |
Territory. Baldwns talents were of such a |
brilliant nature that they excited jealousy |
among some OF his legal acQuaintances, who, it |
is said encouraged his appetite for whisky in |
order that he might become drunkard, and so |
be removed from their paths. From 1903 to 1906 |
Baldwin did great deal of legal business, and |
did 1t extremely well. After 1903 his name ap- |
pears chiefly, says Colonel Gilmore as the de- |
fendant in suits for whisky bills. He must have
become n confirmed drunkard about this time, |
and his fall was very rapid.
Baldwin filled number of responsible posi-
tons. He was member OF the first Constitu-